


It Started Out With A Kiss

by RidiculouslyOverObsessed



Series: The Bechloe Kiss AU [3]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Song fic, bechloe - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:35:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29098140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RidiculouslyOverObsessed/pseuds/RidiculouslyOverObsessed
Summary: Beca and Chloe have spent years kissing the wrong people and thinking about what could have been…
Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell
Series: The Bechloe Kiss AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2064570
Comments: 14
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yo nerds, I'm back from my little hiatus with an angst fic! I had a 3am idea for this based on "Mr Brightside" (which is a startling insight into my headspace right now but nevermind) so yeah, here you go!! 
> 
> Thanks to RJ for all your help as per usual, you funky nerd you.

“You’re such a weirdo…”

Beca smirks, arms winding around Jesse’s neck as she pulls him in close. Their eyes flutter shut as their lips meet, and from the stage Chloe can feel her heart split in two. Of course Beca picked Jesse. It’s the logical choice. They’ve been dancing around each other for months now, they work together, he was there outside the jail when Beca got out, he was there to stand up for Beca against Aubrey, of course she picked him.

But Chloe had been there too. Chloe had been there to encourage Beca to join the Bellas. Chloe had been at every practice to intervene between Aubrey and Beca. Chloe had been the one trying to subtly push Beca forward for solos and for her ideas. It had been Chloe that brought her back to the Bellas… so why wasn’t she the one that Beca was kissing right now? What did he have that Chloe didn’t? Why didn’t she get the girl and Jesse did? It wasn’t fair.

A few tears slipped down Chloe’s cheeks as she forced a smile, hoping that the Bellas would simply assume it was just the rush of adrenaline and emotion of the performance and not her broken heart. She just stood watching over Fat Amy’s shoulder, the Australian having pulled her into a tight hug, as Jesse’s hands tangled in Beca’s hair. She felt a low simmering anger in her stomach. It looked like such a sloppy kiss, like Jesse was trying to inhale Beca rather than show her how he felt. God what kind of kissing technique was that? Was he trying to be a washing machine? Chloe wanted to run over there and drag him off Beca by his stupid Treble Maker hoodie and show him how he _should_ kiss Beca Mitchell.

How he should wind his arm around Beca’s waist and pull her to him. How he should run a hand through her hair as Beca smirks in that way that makes his knees go weak. How he should let his wander from her hair to the back of her neck, lean in close and press his lips to hers. How the kiss should start off soft, tender, caring, how it should communicate that yes, he’d been wanting to do this since their first meeting at the activities fair, but that it was more than just a physical attraction… god it was so much more than that. How he should deepen the kiss slowly, because Beca deserved to be romanced and treated like she was the most precious thing in existence. How he should start with the tip of his tongue in her mouth, how he should read her movements, how their tongues should work in perfect harmony with each other, the way that Beca’s mixes do. How when they eventually break apart he should rest his forehead against Beca’s whilst he grins and whispers the words that he should have said months ago:

“I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Jesse was just treating Beca like a piece of meat, with the groping and slobbering and the inhaling, and it pissed her off. That’s not how you treated someone like Beca. You treated her gently, you treated her like a precious gem, you treated her like a goddess. Not like _that._ Chloe would treat her far better than _that._

But it was too late. Too late for her to show Beca how she felt. Too late for her to wake up next to Beca every morning. Too late for Beca and Chloe. It was Beca and Jesse now. She’d waited too long to tell Beca how she felt and in swooped Jesse with his stupid hair and his smile and his _persistence_ that Chloe thought was just annoying. But here Beca was kissing him and not her, so it was obviously working. Why was it working? Beca was smarter than that, worth more than that, yet here she was being living the stereotype that she hated so much. The girl gets the guy, what a load of crap. Chloe just didn’t get it. What the hell did someone as amazing as Beca see in someone as mediocre as Jesse?

“Chloe we did it!” Aubrey’s excited squeak pulled Chloe from her thoughts, turning to face her best friend of four years.

“Yeah we did. It was aca-awesome!” Chloe’s grin was fake as Aubrey gripped her hands tightly.

On any other day Aubrey would’ve noticed that Chloe was hiding something, but today on the high from their incredible ICCA performance, Aubrey missed that Chloe’s heart was breaking, that she was sad and angry because the guy was getting the girl and Chloe was just left all alone.

Aubrey didn’t miss it however three years later when they were sat around the campfire at the Lodge of Fallen Leaves, the Bellas having just sang “When I’m Gone”. Aubrey noticed the longing way in which Chloe looked at Beca as the brunette’s phone rang, Beca answering it with a: “Hey baby.”

Aubrey gently tapped Chloe on the shoulder and gestured for her to follow her away from the others. Chloe sighed softly as she got up, following Aubrey over to a quiet corner of forest line away from the Bellas and the bear traps. Aubrey frowned softly as she puts her hand on Chloe’s arm.

“How long have you been feeling like this about Beca?” Aubrey asked, nothing but loving concern on her face as she looked at her best friend.

Chloe opened her mouth to lie about it, to protest, but sighed instead, running a hand through her hair, “Too long…” She sniffed, trying to blink back her tears as she looked at the floor, “But it’s too late Bree. I missed my chance. She picked _him_.” Chloe spat.

Three years she’d spent watching Beca and Jesse date. Three years of dates, and cuddling on the couch, and kissing in the kitchen, and of course, three years of rhythmic wall banging which gave Chloe more disturbing mental images than she needed. She’d watched Beca drape herself all over him, so out of character from the feisty and independent brunette that she knew. She’d watched Jesse force his hobbies on her as she just nodded and smiled and kissed him with only the occasional eye roll and sarcastic comment that would have hit anyone else in a torrent. It was so stupid the way that Beca had changed in their relationship, hated the way that Jesse had forced Beca into his WASPy family’s ideals and she’d let him.

Chloe was sick of being angry, sick of being sad about the choices Beca had made, and three years of bottling it up meant that all it took was Aubrey asking her one simple question for the frustrated tears to start pouring down her cheeks.

“Oh Chloe…” Aubrey pulled Chloe into her arms as the redhead rested her head on her shoulder, crying softly.

“Why him? He’s a dick. I know I’m biased and whatever, but he’s a _dick._ ” Chloe mumbled into her shoulder, “I thought they’d be over by now, that it’d fizzle out, they have nothing in common except singing, but here we are three years later and she’s talking about moving to L.A. with him, and I can feel my heart breaking all over again just like it did when she kissed him after the ICCA finals.”

“Chloe did you fail Russian Lit just to wait around for Beca?” Aubrey asked. She was about the only person who could ask Chloe this question and the redhead know there was no judgement there, only concern.

“Maybe?” Chloe sniffed hard as she pulled back from the hug, wiping her eyes with her hands, “Like I didn’t want to leave the Bellas either but… I guess a small part of me thought that if I stayed Beca would see that I was better for her than Jesse.” Chloe’s voice was small as she didn’t look at Aubrey, embarrassed by her choices.

“Chloe. Look at me.” Aubrey put her hands on Chloe’s arms as her friend dragged her eyes from the ground to look at her, “You need to let Beca go. You need to move on Chlo. Because this isn’t good for you, I hate seeing you so unhappy. If Beca’s moving to L.A., you should move to New York. Opposite sides of the country, a clean break.”

“Yeah…” Chloe sniffed sadly, “God I feel like such an idiot…”

“You’re not an idiot Chloe.” Aubrey shook her head with a sad smile, “You’re in love with someone who doesn’t love you back, and that hurts more than anyone can ever understand. But you have to move on, because somewhere out there is a gorgeous man or woman that is going to love you so damn much in the way that you deserve to be loved, but that person? It’s not Beca.”

“Yeah… okay. It’s time I moved on.” Chloe nodded.

And Chloe had meant it, up until an hour later when she saw Beca sat at the edge of the lake on her own, knees pulled to her chest as she stared out across the water. Chloe frowned softly as she walked from the tent to sit next to Beca.

“Becs? What is it?” Chloe asked, a hand on her arm.

Beca continued to look out at the water, sniffing softly, “Jesse and I are done.”

“What?” Chloe could feel her heart leap out of her chest, a smell sense of hope being to flourish in her chest. She hated that hearing Beca say those words made her so happy, but they did.

“Yeah, uh… he called me, after the campfire and finding our sound. Said he’d been offered a job already in L.A. and he had to move immediately. He wanted me to drop everything and come with him, and I can’t do that. I’m crushing this internship, I’ve got the Worlds coming up, and I can’t just leave the Bellas in the lurch.” Beca ran her hands through her hair in exasperation.

“He didn’t get how unreasonable it was to ask me to drop everything just to move across country with him. He started yelling about how I’m always putting everyone else before him, how I don’t make time for him, how I seem to be more like your girlfriend than his because you see me more than he does!” Beca could feel herself getting angry again.

“Becs…” Chloe was speechless as she listened to Beca explain what had happened. It may just be Beca relaying the jealous rambling of her boyfriend (EX-boyfriend now) but hearing Beca call her girlfriend in any context made her heart sing, “I’m so sorry…”

“It’s not your fault.” Beca shook her head angrily, “I’ve spent the last three years with him, I picked him, why doesn’t he get that? He doesn’t get to turn my life upside down because _he_ got this great opportunity. I’m doing amazing work at this internship, if I can nail this collab with Emily there’s a job for me with their partner office in New York. Why shouldn’t I go for that? Why should I do things with my life to suit _his_ agenda?”

Beca turned to look at Chloe, hurt and sadness in her eyes that made Chloe’s heart break, “I ended it with him Chlo. It’s been a long time coming, we’ve been drifting apart for months anyway… so why does it hurt so much? Why does it feel like this? I should be happy, relieved even! But… I’m just sad…”

Chloe hated seeing Beca cry, it was so alien to see someone so strong looking so vulnerable. She pulled Beca into a tight hug as the brunette cried into her shoulder, for once not protesting being pulled into a hug. She needed Chloe to hold her like this right now, needed the comfort from the one person who could always make her feel like she was stronger than she was.

“I’ve got you Beca. It’s okay. You’re allowed to be sad, regardless of how it ended you were in a three year relationship with someone who you cared about a lot, your whole college life has more or less been spent with him. You’re allowed to feel like this about it coming to an end Becs, it’s a big deal.” Chloe gently stroked Beca’s arm as she mumbled into her hair.

After a few minutes, Beca sat up and wiped her eyes, smiling softly at Chloe, “Thanks Chlo. You always did know how to make me feel better.”

“Anytime Becs.” Chloe beamed.

“I guess I need to refigure what I’m doing after graduation then huh?” Beca shrugged with a soft chuckle, “God I feel like such an idiot.” She shook her head sadly, “I had no plans for L.A., just that I was going there with Jesse… I thought I was never someone plan my life around a guy, but here I was willing to just follow him like a lovesick puppy.”

“Beca you were in love with him. Of course you’d want to be with him, love makes you do… dumb things sometimes. But it’s human, and you’re not an idiot. So you have to figure things out, look at me! I did three extra years of college trying to figure it out. You’ll be okay. You’re Beca ‘effin Mitchell.”

Beca snorted, unable to help the smirk that appeared on her face, “You will be too Beale. Okay, I mean. You’re like the coolest person I know, those disadvantaged kids or… exotic dancing patrons I guess? They’ll be lucky to have you.”

Chloe just giggled as she looked at Beca, “You’re such a dork Beca…” There was a quiet pause for a moment before Beca spoke again.

“If I get this job in New York… what if- what if we move out there together? Y’know, try and figure out what we’re doing with our lives together? Things always seem to make more sense when you’re around.” Beca shrugged awkwardly. She’d never say it out loud, but there had always been this connection with Chloe, more so than she’d ever had with Jesse. The reality of it was that Beca simply didn’t know who she was anymore without Chloe by her side.

Chloe felt her breath catch in her throat, “You want me to come to New York with you?” She whispered, not quiet daring to believe it.

“Yeah.” Beca shrugged again, “You’re my best friend Chlo, I- it’d be weird without you.”

 _‘Best friend.’_ Chloe swallowed hard. Aubrey was right, she had to move on from Beca. But moving to New York with her? Now Jesse was out of the picture? Maybe, just maybe it would lead to everything she’d ever wanted.

“Okay…” Chloe smiled softly, nodding, “I’ll move to New York with you.”

Beca and Chloe moved to New York after they won the Worlds, Fat Amy in tow. It had been neither of their idea, but somehow neither of them had been able to say no either. A shoebox studio apartment was not the ideal living space for three people, especially when Amy had insisted on getting a queen sized bed instead of two singles or a bunk bed, and then insisted that she got it all to herself. Although, that was the bit that they minded the least. Sharing a bed, even if they were _‘just friends’_ had brought Beca and Chloe even closer than before.

They seemed to spend all of their time together. Beca’s commute to the record label was the same as Chloe’s commute to vet school, Chloe would stop buy to see Beca on her lunch break, they fell asleep next to each other. When Beca was working late at the label Chloe would always send her food to her office, and when Chloe was doing a marathon study session Beca would always sneak snacks into her school bag so that when Chloe got hungry at 3am she’d have them right there. To an outsider (read Amy and the Bellas via the group chat they set up) they were dating in every way but the conventional way, but to Beca and Chloe they were just best of friends, because there was no way that the other felt the same way.

Beca watched the disappointment on Chloe’s face as she watched the new Bellas perform. She hated seeing Chloe like this, hated the sad way in which she watched Emily lead the new Barden Bellas in what was admittedly an amazing performance. So when Chloe had choked out wanting to sing with the Bellas again, and the USO tour had been raised as an idea, Beca couldn’t help but say yes. Sure, she didn’t have a job right now so it didn’t matter that she was going to be in Europe for a few weeks, but also she could see that it’s what Chloe wanted to do more than anything else right now. Besides, Europe was… kind of romantic, even if you were there with the woman you were trying to pretend you weren’t in love with AND your old a cappella singing group.

Because Beca was in love with Chloe. She couldn’t help it, she’d tried so hard not to. When she was dating Jesse she’d managed (most of the time at least) to pretend that she wasn’t thinking about Chloe, that it was Jesse that she was in love with. She’d even convinced herself of it. But since they’d broken up, since she’d moved in with Chloe in New York, Beca couldn’t lie to herself about it anymore. She loved Chloe Beale, she’d always loved Chloe. Maybe a trip to Europe, being around their weird little family, maybe it was just what she needed to finally tell Chloe what she’d taken too long to figure out for herself.

It turned out that performing with the Bellas again also brought back some of the drama of performing with the Bellas again. Between their disastrous first performance and setting DJ Khaled’s suite on FIRE (courtesy of Aubrey which had shocked Beca a little, but with Amy otherwise occupied she supposed it was the next likely candidate given where Aubrey’s brain was with her dad and things) it had been really difficult to think about anything else. And now, Beca was sat slack jawed in front of DJ Khaled as he told her he didn’t want the Bellas, he wanted her. Her. Just Beca.

She’d never been good at being Just Beca. It’s what had put the divide between her and the Bellas to begin with, what had meant that she’d spent her high school years holed up in the music room and not hanging out with other kids. It was lonely being Just Beca. She hated being Just Beca. Why on earth would she leave her family like this to be on her own? Saying no was the right call… right?

Beca had heard Amy in her room rummaging around and had gone to talk to her about it, but suddenly, in a completely unseen turn of events, Beca found herself standing on the back of an offensively titled yacht with Fat Amy telling her that their family was in danger. All she could think about now was Chloe, how scared she must be, how the uncertainty of the situation must be stressing her out. As she climbed the stairs quietly she gave her head a little shake. No, they were all in danger, she couldn’t just think about Chloe right now. Despite how hard it was to not think about Chloe.

Singing “Toxic” with the Bellas during a hostage situation and blowing up a yacht was never a situation that Beca had thought she’d find herself in, but here she was. It was as she sat next to Chloe, wrapped in a blanket that Beca found herself at a complete loss as to why on earth she had waited so damn long to tell Chloe how she felt, why she had pretended for so damn long that she didn’t feel this way about Chloe. It hadn’t escaped Beca’s notice that the soldier with aa dumb city name had been hovering around Chloe since they’d arrived for the USO tour, but surely Chloe wasn’t interested in a guy like that? In his ridiculous muscles and conventional good looks and the whole I-put-my-life-on-the-line-for-my-country thing, it just wasn’t Chloe. Chloe liked… well, Beca didn’t know what Chloe liked. There had been Tom, but he’d just been Chloe’s plaything, he never came to take her on a date or anything, they’d just disappeared up to Chloe’s room and they’d been… well the shaking house had left little to the imagination. But she didn’t _like_ Tom. She didn’t like anyone, she hadn’t dated anyone the entire time Beca had known her, not really. Beca didn’t know why that was, surely there had been guys falling over themselves to date Chloe Beale, I mean look at the soldier guy.

But there was no time for it now. Beca had to prepare for her solo debut. Prepare to be Just Beca. Because as terrifying as it was, knowing that her family was going to be there cheering her on was all she needed to do this. And she knew the perfect song to sing. A song that would let her express how she felt. George Michael’s coming out song. It was perfect, and Chloe was going to understand exactly what she was trying to say.

When she locked eyes with Chloe as she sang she felt it. Felt the connection between them that they had shared for so many years now. When she pulled the Bellas up onto the stage to sing with her she saw it. Saw the look of understanding and adoration in Chloe’s eyes as she sang with Beca. As she finished singing she had it. Had Chloe’s arms around her before anyone else’s, had her whispering in her ear: “I’m so proud of you Becs! You’re amazing!”

So, imagine the way she felt when she walked backstage looking for Chloe who she’d go this way, only to find her in the soldier’s arms, with the soldier’s lips pressed against hers. Beca felt her heart shatter into a million pieces, felt like she’d kicked in the stomach by a horse. This was by far the worst moment of her life. God look at him, had he ever kissed anyone? Where was the fluidity, the passion, the tenderness? He wasn’t kissing a mannequin; he was kissing CHLOE BEALE. Did he even know how lucky he was? Did he know exactly what he was getting when Chloe picked him?

Beca felt Theo tap he shoulder, half heard him say something, but she didn’t care about any of that.

“I gotta go show this guy how it's done.” She half growls.

Enough is enough. She isn’t going to stand here and watch him kiss Chloe like that, he has no idea what he’s doing. She isn’t going to waste anymore time dancing around how she feels about Chloe, she’s spent six years doing that. She isn’t about to let the woman she loves slip away from her and into the arms of this ridiculous man who wouldn’t know how to kiss a woman even if he was given a step-by-step manual.

Beca grabbed Chloe’s wrist and pulled her away from Chicago, not angrily but desperately. The brunette slid her free hand across Chloe’s cheek and to the back of the redhead’s neck, pulling her in close, wasting no more time as she pressed her lips to Chloe’s. For a heart stopping moment there was no response from Chloe, but then… oh god then Chloe started to kiss her back and it was everything she had ever imagined it would be and so much more. Chloe’s hands seemed to travel over every inch of her, not knowing where to settle, too restless and excited to finally be here that they wanted to be everywhere at once. Beca slid her tongue along Chloe’s lower lip trying to hide her grin as Chloe’s mouth opened without a second thought or a pause. Beca couldn’t hide the grin any longer as Chloe’s hand caressed her ass and then gripped her thigh, lifting so it was on her hip, Beca’s leg wound around her waist. Beca couldn’t believe she was here, that Chloe was kissing her back, that after years of dancing around each other and watching the other kiss the wrong person that they were finally…

“Beca? Earth to Beca?” Theo tapped Beca on the shoulder, the brunette shaking her head as she came back to reality.

“Huh?” Beca asked, tearing her eyes from Chloe and her soldier as he dipped her. She didn’t need to see any more, her heart was broken enough now.

“I said Khaled’s looking for you, he wants to talk about you going on tour, pretty much immediately. You crushed it tonight!”

Theo was grinning at Beca, and she could tell he wanted her to be excited about this. But right now? Right now all Beca wanted to do was scream and weep because she was too late. Chloe had made a choice, and that choice wasn’t her. Why? Why wasn’t it her? She sang to Chloe, she used her music to express how she felt in a way that Chloe would understand, but she didn’t… maybe they weren’t as connected as she thought they were. Clearly, the last six years was all in her head.

“Yeah, I’m coming. Lead the way.” Beca forced a smile as she followed Theo. She turned her back on Chloe as her heart exploded into a million pieces.

She loved Chloe, but it was too late to do anything about it. Chloe had found someone else.

God, how did it end up like this?


	2. Part 2 is up!

Hey hey beautiful nerds, just an fyi that part two of this is now up as a separate fic because... well it seemed like a good idea at the time. Anyway, it's called The Night We Met, and you can find it right [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29266365)

Hope you enjoy it!

**Author's Note:**

> Find me @ridiculously-over-obsessed on Tumblr if you wanna request a fic or something?


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